The Nikon Coolpix S200's performance is a mixed bag, ranging from quite fast to below average. Startup time was average, at 2.5 seconds. Shutter lag is quite good at both wide angle and telephoto, and very fast when the camera is "prefocused" by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure. Shot-to-shot cycle times are about average for this class, at about 2.2 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, but the camera captures frames continuously at this rate with a fast enough memory card. Continuous-mode speed is below average at 0.82 frames/second, though again, the camera captures frames continuously at this rate until the card is full. Flash recycling time is quite fast however, at only 3.2 seconds after a full-power shot. Connected to a computer, download speeds are a little above average, so you probably won't feel a need for a separate card reader. Bottom line, the S200 is responsive enough for most family photo opportunities, but its continuous shooting mode may be a bit slow for sports, kids, or pets.

Battery and Storage Capacity

BatteryAverage battery life for a lithium-ion design.

Operating Mode

Number of Shots

Lithium-ionrechargeable battery(CIPA standard)

230

The Nikon Coolpix S200 uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and a charger is included with the cameras. Though runtimes are about average for a lithium-ion design, we strongly recommend you pick up an extra battery and keep in charged and on-hand for extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

StorageThe Nikon Coolpix S200 stores its photos on SDHC / SD / MMC memory cards or in approximately 20MB of internal memory, and no card is included with the camera.

Image Capacity with20MB Internal Memory

Fine

Normal

3,072 x 2,304

Images

6

12

File Size

3.7 MB

1.9 MB

2,592 x 1,944

Images

-

16

File Size

-

1.4 MB

2,048 x 1,536

Images

-

26

File Size

-

864 KB

1,024 x 768

Images

-

90

File Size

-

254 KB

640 x 480

Images

-

169

File Size

-

136 KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SDHC/SD memory card at least a 1 GB or 2GB card, to give yourself extra space for extended outings. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)